Wikipedia Article

I've started a Wikipedia article for the Décsey family, though it is far from finished.  It currently has only some basic information, such as a brief origin of the family, some notable members and a black and white Coat of Arms.  Look for updates in the near future to the article.

Letters Patent - part I

Today I was able to get some scans of one of my family's Letters Patent from the late 15th century.  These are only in black and white, but I will in the near future make full color scans of all the Letters Patent (there are three of them).  All three letters patent are written in medieval to late-medieval/early Renaissance Latin, as most at the time were.

In case you are wondering "what are letters patent"? and "why are they important"? the answers are that first, Letters Patent are official royal documents granted to an individual entitling them to nobility, both in title and in land.  Most of the time, they either created new nobles or gave land grants to existing nobles (as in the case of my family).  Second, the importance of these documents are that they are proof positive of noble title and land as well as at times granting the right of Arms to individuals and families.  They are almost always granted by a King, and in the case of these documents, they were granted by King Matthias Corvinus (on the document as "Mathias Rex" in Latin).

Here are some of black and white scans: